I am a confirmed hardcore carnivore, but every once in a while I have to make some nice pasta dishes for a milchig dinner. Especially now that Shavuos is almost upon us… Here are two of my favorites:

Fettuccine Alfredo with Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb fettucine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste.

3/4 cup chopped shitake mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup shredded Mozarella

Directions

Mix the butter and 2/3 cup of the heavy cream, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes or until the cream has thickened slightly.

Boil a large pan of lightly salted water, over medium heat.

Add the pasta, bring back to a boil and cook for 9 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain pasta thoroughly, return to pan, pour in the sauce (from step 1)

Toss the pasta in the sauce, over a low fire, until thoroughly coated. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of heavy cream, the shredded Mozarella, nutmeg, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Toss the pasta thoroughly in the whole mixture while on a low flame.

While pasta is cooking, sauté the mushrooms and garlic in a little bit of oil, until garlic pieces are golden brown.

Put the pasta mixture on a large warmed serving plate. Add the sautéed mushrooms and garlic. Serve and sprinkle generously with the grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

Vegetable Cannelloni

Delicious is an understatement!

Ingredients

12 cannelloni

1 eggplant

1/2 cup fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

salt and pepper

Basil, to garnish

Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb 12 ozs canned chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon 10x confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

4 Mozzarella slices

Directions

In a large pan boil some lightly salted water. Add the cannelloni, return to a boil and cook for another 9 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Put pasta in a plate and pat dry with paper towels.

Cut the eggplant into small dice. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. add the eggplant, stir frequently while cooking for about three minutes.

Add spinach, garlic, cumin and mushrooms. Reduce the heat. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Cooking for 2 to 3 minutes stirring constantly. Spoon the mixture into the cannelloni. Arrange cannelloni in a casserole in a single layer.

To make the sauce, heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over cannelloni.

Arrange the Mozzarella slices over the sauce and bake in 375 F. preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling. serve hot garnished with a prig of basil.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy AND don’t forget to send us your favorite Shavuos recipes (there is a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses as the prize for the best!) to: